Student Proposal

Painting Techniques of the Wyeth Family and Conservation of Their Works

The research that I am interested in pursuing this summer involves an intense investigation of the techniques of three generations of Wyeths: N.C Wyeth (1882-1945), Andrew Wyeth, (b. 1917), and Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946) and how their techniques might affect the present and future conservation of their works. My advisor has agreed to sponsor this research and enfold me in a number of projects she is presently working on. We are also discussing the possibility of having the research culminate in a paper to be published and made available for future conservators faced with the challenge of conserving a work by one of the Wyeth artists.

Because both Jamie and Andrew Wyeth currently live in the Chadds Ford area, many of their works have remained in local collections and are therefore available for in-person examination and treatment over the summer. My advisor is presently involved in a number of projects involving the conservation of works by the Wyeth family, and we will discuss which projects would most benefit my research over the summer and which ones would be more appropriate to pursue in the fall or winter. Both My advisor and myself feel very strongly that I should experience and become involved with as many works as possible in order to accurately assess the techniques of each artist as well as particular conservation concerns that result. Therefore this project will involve visiting a number of collections and assisting in many different conservation treatments. Most of my research will be done at the Brandywine River Museum of my advisor. Carolyn Wyeth recently bequest to the museum about 50 N.C. Wyeth paintings and about 300 Andrew Wyeth watercolors that must each be closely examined and documented with a detailed condition report. The Brandywine River Museum also has a large archive of Jamie Wyeth's letters, interviews and works that need to be catalogued and examined for possible references to his father and grandfather's techniques. It is also possible that I will have the opportunity to interview Jamie and/or Andrew Wyeth about their techniques and to visit their studios. Apart from the Brandywine River Museum, a team of conservators will be removing discolored varnish from a 60x19' N.C. Wyeth mural in Wilmington, and participation in that project will provide a fantastic opportunity to assess how technique has affected the longevity of the work. Another mural, this one by Jamie Wyeth, is also in need of a condition check to assess its stability. Located at the Delaware Air National Guard in New Castle, the stability and technique of both murals can be compared, and conclusions reached regarding the manner in which each Wyeth influenced each other. Finally, the Christian Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford has a large collection of works by all three Wyeths, and has already agreed to allow me to come and write condition reports to assess how their unique collection represents the larger body of the Wyeth's work.

Since the best way to assess an artist's technique is to examine their work in a very intimate manner, a majority of the research will be collected through hands-on examination and treatment of the Wyeth family's work. In order to understand and treat works effectively however, a certain amount of background library work will be required as well. I plan to search N.C. Wyeth's collected letters for references to technique of specific works, examine previous interviews with Jamie and Andrew Wyeth, and research what other artists and critics have said about the Wyeth's work. Working with my advisor, interviews with Andrew and Jamie Wyeth may also be arranged. Although seemingly an insignificant part of the overall research, the preliminary library work will be vital to understanding the individual paintings and arriving at an accurate conclusion regarding each artist's technique.

This project would involve a very close relationship with my advisor in her own on-going research, in addition to my own interest in the Wyeth techniques and how those techniques affect future conservation of their works. We both feel very strongly that my work will compliment hers quite well, as she has just completed a 60 page catalogue essay for an upcoming Wyeth exhibition and has been very active in interviewing both Jamie and Andrew Wyeth regarding the conservation of their works. The cataloging of Andrew Wyeth watercolors is a vital part of her continued research, and will be very valuable to others interested in using the collection. The close interaction with these watercolors and the other paintings mentioned earlier will not only further my skills at conservation, but I will be able to observe the Wyeth technique in a very intimate manner often not afforded to art historical researchers, and therefore plan an appropriate course of treatment. By allowing many different facets of this project (treatments, interviews and readings) the summer will be filled with fantastic opportunities for very close interaction with my advisor and other conservation professionals, in addition to a freedom to pursue my own interests in Wyeth techniques through hands-on observation and conservation of their works.

Because the areas that I will be probing into for research are so varied, and since any time interviewing Jamie and Andrew Wyeth must be arranged at their convenience, it is quite honestly rather difficult to project what the time-table for the summer might be. We will soon be notified as to what works are approved for treatment, and from there plan a course of action that is balanced between art historical research and conservation. Tentatively my advisor and I are looking to begin by deciding exactly where the greatest needs lie in the Brandywine River Museum and estimating how long treatment of those works will take. By mid-summer we anticipate approximately one-half to three-quarters of the painting condition reports will be completed, allowing time in the last weeks to compile all of the information and examine other works if necessary to draw conclusions about their style and techniques. These last weeks will also be used to begin work on a paper that will be made available for future conservators to reference. This paper will then be worked on through fall semester or winter session as part of the 3-credit continuation. A week will also be spent at the Christian Sanderson Museum working with their collection, to be arranged at their convenience. I will be starting much of the preliminary reading work toward the end of spring semester, however days will be devoted solely to library work especially in the first two to three weeks. It will be possible to submit a more detailed time table within the next two weeks as we are notified as to which projects are approved for conservation this summer.

Preliminary Bibliography
Goodyear, Frank H. Jr. Jamie Wyeth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1980.
Goodyear, Frank H. Jr. ìJames Wyeth,î An American Vision: Three Generations of
Wyeth Art. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1980.
Hoving, Thomas. Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth: A Conversation With Andrew Wyeth.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1978.
Meryman, Richard. Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.
Podmaniczky, Christine. N.C. Wyeth: Experiment and Invention 1925-1935. Chadds
Ford, PA: Brandywine River Museum, 1995.
Stoner, Joyce Hill. ìA Closer Look at Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, and
Jamie Wyeth.î Catalogue Supplement for Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine
and Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware. 1988.
Wyeth, Andrew. Autobiography. Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1995.
Wyeth, Andrew. ìN.C. Wyethî An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art.
New York: Little, Brown and Co., 1987.
Wyeth, Betsey James, ed. The Wyeths: The Letters of N.C. Wyeth 1901-1945. Boston:
Gambit, 1971.

I will also begin by reviewing a number of interviews with the Wyeth family and conducting some myself. Some interviews I will reference:

Andrew Wyeth by Joyce Hill Stoner:
August 29, 1997, December 31, 1997, January 24, 1998

Jamie Wyeth by Joyce Hill Stoner:
June 15, 1982, December 29, 1997, January 30, 1998

Faculty Letter of Support